Documentary ‘The Oslo Diaries’ Doesn’t Do Its Subject Matter Justice [Sundance Review]

Covering the secret talks between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization in the 1990s, “The Oslo Diaries” should be a gripping documentary that’s depressingly relevant 25 years after the events it covers. When you describe the covert meeting in Norway, it feels like something out of a spy movie, though Hollywood would have given it a far happier ending. Unfortunately, this film from directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan removes much of the suspense, taking a standard nonfiction approach that is often dense and sometimes dull in its execution.

Even those of us who were barely cognizant of world affairs in the ’90s knew about the violent clashes between Israel and the PLO, with Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres as fixtures in the nightly news. “The Oslo Diaries” explains exactly to what depths the relationship between the two factions had fallen to establish the challenge. Just talking to the other side was illegal, so when Israeli history professors Ron Pundak and Yair Hrischfeld left for Europe to talk to the Palestinian delegation, their cover was an imaginary academic summit in Oslo. In reality, they were traveling to a remote mansion, where they would meet with the PLO representatives led by Abu Alaa.

“The Oslo Diaries” highlights the “process” part of the peace process, emphasizing the time spent by both groups and the efforts made to come to an agreement over several years and several continents. Different players join the talks, with recognizable faces like Arafat, Rabin, Peres and Bill Clinton eventually taking part in the discussion. The film’s primary source is the diaries of the negotiators, and it makes these writings more cinematic with voiceover readings, as well as reenactments, contemporary interviews (including the last one with Peres before his death) and archival footage. The videos from the ’90s are often graphic, never shying away from the bloodshed in the conflict, which may be difficult to watch for some viewers – and it should be. These moments in history are effective and affecting, especially given the cycle of violence that continues today. Unfortunately, the reenactments don’t do a good job of bringing the talks to life. There are some charming anecdotes shared in interviews, as well as touching stories that reveal the connections made across the chasm, but the film is less effective in the details of the talks themselves. After a compelling start, it often feels monotonous, failing to do justice to the stakes of the negotiations until the film is almost at its end.

“The Oslo Diaries” is at its most gripping – and its most devastating – in its coverage of how close to peace the two sides came but have still yet to reach. For those unfamiliar with the Oslo Accords and the talks that preceded them, the film’s historical account may add a layer of insight to the current situation, while those who remember when the secret meeting became public may learn details that they hadn’t heard before. But most of the film generally isn’t as interesting as the real-life drama might imply, making this viewing for history junkies and political fans only, rather than a documentary with crossover appeal for those who nodded off in history class. [C+]

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